“Do they eat astronaut ice cream up there? The freeze-dried kind from the museum gift shop?”
“Ha, actually, no. That stuff’s mostly made for kids down here. Real astronauts eat something a little different.”
“Then what DO they eat?”
“A lot of it’s dehydrated, dried out completely, then they add hot or cold water right before eating, with a little water gun built into the food pouch.”
“A WATER GUN? For food?”
“Yep. Squirt, stir, eat. That’s dinner.”
“Do they eat bread?”
“Nope, tortillas instead. Bread makes crumbs, and up there, crumbs don’t fall down. They just float around and can get into machines, or float into someone’s eye.”
“Ohh, that makes sense actually.”
“Even salt and pepper come as liquid, not grains, same reason. Can’t have tiny bits drifting around.”
“Wait, is the food gross? Like, bad tasting?”
“Actually, a lot of astronauts say food tastes kind of bland up there, even food that’s normally really flavorful.”
“Why?”
“Nobody’s 100% sure, but the leading idea is that without gravity, fluid shifts upward in your body, kind of like having a stuffy nose all the time. And a stuffy nose messes with your sense of taste.”
“So they just eat boring food the whole time?”
“A lot of astronauts pack extra hot sauce for that exact reason.”
“What about fresh stuff? Like fruit?”
“That’s the real treat. When a supply ship arrives with fresh fruit or vegetables, astronauts say it’s basically a celebration.”
“A whole party for an apple?”
“Pretty much. You’d probably feel the same after months of squeeze-pouch food.”
“Turns out even in space, the best meal isn’t the fancy one, it’s just a really good piece of fruit, saved for a really good day.”
Now It’s Your Turn
Find someone at dinner tonight and see what you both remember.
- Why don’t astronauts eat regular bread in space?
- Why does a water gun matter at mealtime?
- Why might food taste blander in space?
(Whenever you’re ready: 1. Crumbs float around and cause problems. 2. It rehydrates dried food right in the pouch. 3. Fluid shifts in zero gravity dull taste and smell, like a stuffy nose.)
Maybe tonight, talk about what one food you’d miss most if you couldn’t taste it fully for months.
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